Adhesive sheet stamping device, adhesive sheet stamping method

ABSTRACT

An adhesive sheet attaching device is provided with: a stage ( 6 ); a feeder ( 10 ) for feeding adhesive sheet ( 8 ) onto the stage ( 6 ); a cutter ( 16 ); a pressurizer ( 7 ) for attaching the adhesive sheet ( 8 ) to a target object mounted on the stage ( 6 ); a detector ( 11 ) for detecting a connecting portion ( 18 ); and a controller. When the detector ( 11 ) detects the connecting portion ( 18 ), the controller stops the operation of the feeder ( 10 ) after adhesive sheet ( 8 ) of an attachable length up to the connecting portion ( 18 ) has been attached. This makes it possible to reliably prevent adhesive sheet ( 8 ) containing a connecting portion ( 18 ) from being attached to a target object, and to effectively use the adhesive sheet up to the connecting portion ( 18 ), thus making it possible to suppress resource loss.

This application is a 371 of PCT/JP03/00188, filed on Jan. 14, 2003.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to adhesive sheet attaching devices,adhesive sheet attaching methods, and component mounting devices, and todisplay panel production methods that use these, in which an adhesivesheet for fixing a mounted component is attached to a display panel suchas a liquid crystal panel.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, component mounting devices are known in which anadhesive sheet for fixing a mounted component is attached to a displaypanel such as a liquid crystal panel, and the mounted component ispressed onto the adhesive sheet. For example, there are electroniccomponent mounting devices in which, after attaching ACF (anisotropicconductive film) with attached release sheet to a liquid crystal panel,and then peeling off the ACF's release sheet, a TCP (thin LSI-chippackage) is pressed onto the ACF, and the TCP is mounted onto the liquidcrystal panel.

FIG. 12 shows process drawings of a conventional ACF attaching device. Ahead 101 is arranged facing a stage 100. The head 101 is provided with apressure applying surface 101 a. A reel 104 is arranged on the supplyside of an ACF 102. The ACF 102 with attached release sheet is woundaround the reel 104. The ACF 102 is supplied onto the stage 100 viasupply rollers 105 a to 105 d.

FIG. 12A shows the initial state of an ACF attaching operation. Theleading edge of the ACF 102 is positioned at a cutter 108. In the stepof FIG. 12B, a predetermined length of the ACF 102 is drawn out onto thestage 100 by a feed chuck 107. The drawing out of the film is performedby the feed chuck 107 moving in the direction of arrow a with a chuckportion of the feed chuck 107 clamping the release sheet 103.

As can be seen in FIG. 12B, with the ACF 102 drawn out by apredetermined length required for a single attachment (hereafter,“single attachment unit”), the ACF 102 is cut by the cutter 108, leavingthe release sheet 103 intact. After cutting, the cutter 108 withdrawsfrom above the stage 100. In this condition, a substrate is suppliedonto the stage.

FIG. 12C shows a single attachment unit of the ACF 102 being pressedonto a substrate 110 by the head 101. Here, the pressure applyingsurface 101 a is heated to a predetermined temperature, and presses thesubstrate 110 with the ACF 102 inbetween. The ACF 102 is attached to thesubstrate 110, and the head 101 moves up.

After this, while a sheet lock 109 clamps and holds the release sheet103, and while the feed chuck 107 is open, the feed chuck 107 is movedtoward the supply side of the ACF 102, and peeled off from the ACF 102that is attached to the substrate 110. After this peeling off,successive single attachment units of ACF 102 are attached to theremaining attachment locations on the substrate 110 by repeating thesteps shown in FIGS. 12B and 12C. When all ACF attachments for thesubstrate 110 are complete, the substrate 110 is transported to the nextprocess.

Here, ACF 102 is wound onto the reel 104, but in order to supply as muchACF as possible with a single reel, sometimes a reel is used wound withACF that is made of multiple continuous connected ACFs. When such a reelis used, a joint is formed at the connecting portion between the ACFs,but because the length of ACF wound around the single reel becomeslonger, the number of reel replacements can be reduced.

Furthermore, whether using a reel on which multiple continuous ACFs arenot connected, or whether using a reel on which multiple continuous ACFsare connected by a joint, in either case an end mark is formed on theend position of the ACF on the single reel, and it can be confirmed thatthe ACF on the reel has run out when this end mark appears.

However, conventional ACF attaching devices such as those describedabove have the following problems. When using a reel wound with joinedACF, a portion containing a joint cannot be used for attachment to asubstrate. For this reason, when a joint appears, it is necessary tostop production temporarily, and peel off the portion containing ajoint.

If production is set up for the joint to appear when production isfinished, reductions in the operation ratio can be suppressed by usingthe periods in which the equipment is not operative, peeling off theportion containing a joint, and setting the equipment to an initialstate as in FIG. 12A. However, the time when the joint appears variesdepending on the length of attachments, and the type of reel, and inmost cases it is impossible to ensure that the joint appears at the endof production. For this reason, it is necessary to stop the ACFattaching device temporarily during production when a joint appears.

In this case, the ACF containing a joint is peeled off from the releasesheet, and in many cases an attachment length longer than a singleattachment unit remains in this peeled off portion, so that there aremany cases of wastefully peeling off more film than necessary and notmaking use of and attaching to a substrate the usable limit of ACF up tothe joint. Thus there is the problem of resource loss.

Furthermore, there is also the problem that, after the joint appears,the successive operation of peeling off the joined portion of ACF is amanual task, and therefore takes time in preparation.

Furthermore, when the ACF is provided with an end mark, the usable limitof ACF up to the end mark is not made use of and attached to a substratewhen the end mark is recognized. Thus there is the problem of wastingresources.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The present invention was conceived to solve the problems describedabove, and it is an object thereof to provide an adhesive sheetattaching device, a component mounting device, and a display panelproduction method that use these, which can improve productivity andreduce resource losses.

In order to achieve this object, an adhesive sheet attaching device ofthe present invention attaches an adhesive sheet with an attachedrelease sheet supplied continuously in a longitudinal direction to atarget object, and discharges a release sheet peeled off from theadhesive sheet,

wherein the adhesive sheet is provided with at least one of a connectingportion in which ends of adhesive sheets that are continuous in thelongitudinal direction are joined, and an end portion that indicates anend position of the supply in the longitudinal direction,

wherein the adhesive sheet attaching device comprises:

-   -   a feeder for moving while holding a release sheet peeled off        from the adhesive sheet, and feeding the adhesive sheet onto the        target object;    -   a cutter for cutting a length of the fed adhesive sheet that is        required for attachment;    -   an attacher for attaching the cut adhesive sheet to the target        object;    -   a detector for detecting the connecting portion or the end        portion; and    -   a controller for controlling at least an operation of the        feeder, the cutter, and the attacher; and

wherein the controller, when the detector detects the connecting portionor the end portion, stops the operation of the feeder and the attacherafter an adhesive sheet of an attachable length up to the connectingportion or the end portion has been attached.

Next, a component mounting device of the present invention uses anadhesive sheet attaching device of according to the present invention,and fixes a mounted component to the adhesive sheet that has beenattached to the target object by the adhesive sheet attaching device. Byusing such a component mounting device with the above-mentioned adhesivesheet attaching device, outstanding productivity can be achieved, andresource losses can be reduced.

Furthermore, a display panel production method of the present inventionthat uses an adhesive sheet attaching device according to the presentinvention is a display panel production method wherein the target objectis a display panel, and the adhesive sheet is an anisotropic conductivefilm.

Next, an adhesive sheet attaching method of the present invention thatattaches adhesive sheet with an attached release sheet suppliedcontinuously in a longitudinal direction to a target object, anddischarges a release sheet peeled off from the adhesive sheet, includes:

supplying, as the adhesive sheet, an adhesive sheet that is providedwith at least one of a connecting portion in which ends of adhesivesheets that are continuous in the longitudinal direction are joined, andan end portion that indicates an end position of the supply inlongitudinal direction;

feeding the adhesive sheet by holding the release sheet peeled off fromthe adhesive sheet and moving it with a feeder;

cutting a length of the fed adhesive sheet that is necessary forattachment with a cutter, and attaching the cut adhesive sheet to thetarget object with an attacher; and

when the connecting portion or the end portion is detected by adetector, stopping the operation of the feeder and the attacher after anadhesive sheet of an attachable length up to the connecting portion orthe end portion has been attached.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an oblique view of a component mounting device according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an oblique view of an ACF attaching device according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the main parts of an ACF used inembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a process drawing of an ACF attaching device according toEmbodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a process drawing of an ACF attaching device according toEmbodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a process drawing of an ACF attaching device according toEmbodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top view of an example substrate with multiple attachmentlocations of ACF.

FIG. 8 is a process drawing of an ACF attaching device according toEmbodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a process drawing of an ACF attaching device according toEmbodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a process drawing of an ACF attaching device according toEmbodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an oblique view of the main parts of an ACF attaching deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a process drawing of an example of a conventional ACFattaching device.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An adhesive sheet attaching device of the present invention is providedwith a joint detector, and therefore the detector detects the joint andreliably stops the movement of the feeder, regardless of the length of asingle piece of adhesive sheet, or the type of reel. For this reason,attaching an adhesive sheet that contains a joint to a target object canbe reliably prevented. Further still, the adhesive sheet can be usedeffectively up to the joint, thus making it possible to suppressresource loss.

In the adhesive sheet attaching device of the present invention, it ispreferable that the controller, when the detector detects the connectingportion or the end portion, judges whether or not a length required fora single attachment to the target object is ensured in the adhesivesheet between the end face on the discharge side of the release sheetand the connecting portion or the end portion,

when it is judged that such a length is ensured, operation of the feederand the attacher is continued until the single attachment length ofadhesive sheet is attached to the target object, and

when it is judged that such a length is not ensured, the movement of thefeeder is stopped.

Furthermore, it is preferable when there are two or more attachmentlocations of the adhesive sheet to the target object, that, when thedetector detects the connecting portion or the end portion, thecontroller judges whether or not a length required for a single set ofattachments to the target object is ensured in the adhesive sheetbetween the end face on the discharge side of the release sheet and theconnecting portion or the end portion,

when it is judged that such a length is ensured, operation of the feederand the attacher is continued until the single set of adhesive sheet isattached to all the attachment locations of the target object, and

when it is judged that such a length is not ensured, the movement of thefeeder is stopped. With such an adhesive sheet attaching device it ispossible to prevent deterioration of the adhesive sheet's adhesivecaused by leaving the target object during attachment to the targetobject. Furthermore, as no substrate remains in the adhesive sheetattaching device, manual tasks after the device stops become easier, andoperability is improved.

Furthermore, it is preferable that when the detector detects theconnecting portion, and after adhesive sheet of an attachable length upto the connecting portion is attached, the controller causes the feederto move until a position of the connecting portion is on the dischargeside of the release sheet with respect to a cutting position of thecutter, and the adhesive sheet is cut by the cutter. With such anadhesive sheet attaching device the task of skipping the joint isautomated, and therefore it is possible to reduce the manual tasksinvolved in setting up an initial state.

Furthermore, it is preferable that a stage is provided onto which thetarget object is mounted, and that the attacher is provided with a pressthat presses the target object mounted on the stage with the adhesivesheet fed onto the target object in between.

Furthermore, it is preferable that a discarding stage is furtherprovided that is capable of moving over the stage and withdrawing fromthe stage,

-   -   and wherein, the controller, after causing the feeder to move        until a position of the connecting portion is on the discharge        side of the release sheet with respect to a cutting position of        the cutter,

causes the adhesive sheet to be cut by the cutter, the discarding stageto move over the stage, and the adhesive sheet to be attached to thediscarding stage by the press. With such an adhesive sheet attachingdevice, after detection of a joint, manual tasks performed until thesetup of an initial state are eliminated, thus improving the operatingratio.

Furthermore, it is preferable that a release sheet is attached to thediscarding stage, and the adhesive sheet is attached to the releasesheet. With such an adhesive sheet attaching device, the task of peelingoff the adhesive sheet from the discarding stage becomes easier.

Furthermore, it is preferable that a notification means is provided fornotifying when a predetermined number of sheets of the adhesive sheet isattached to the discarding stage. With such an adhesive sheet attachingdevice it is possible to prevent leaving the equipment with adhesivesheet not peeled off from the discarding stage.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the discarding stage is attached to asupporter that is rotatable by a movement enabling means, and can bemoved over the stage and withdrawn from the stage with the rotation ofthe supporter. With such an adhesive sheet attaching device it ispossible to reliably mount the discarding stage over the stage with asimple construction.

Furthermore, a component mounting device of the present invention thatuses an adhesive sheet attaching device of the present invention canachieve outstanding productivity and reduce resource losses.

Furthermore, a display panel production method of the present inventionthat uses an adhesive sheet attaching device of the present inventioncan achieve outstanding productivity and reduce resource losses.

An adhesive sheet attaching method of the present invention is providedwith a joint detector, and therefore the detector detects the joint andreliably stops the movement of the feeder, regardless of the length of asingle piece of adhesive sheet, or the type of reel. For this reason,attaching an adhesive sheet that contains a joint to a target object canbe prevented reliably. Further still, the adhesive sheet can be usedeffectively up to the joint, thus making it possible to suppressresource loss.

The following is a description of preferred embodiments of the presentinvention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The adhesivesheet attaching device in the following embodiments is an example of anACF attaching device.

EMBODIMENT 1

FIG. 1 is an oblique view of a component mounting device according to anembodiment of the present invention. The component mounting device 1shown in this figure is a device that attaches ACF to a liquid crystalpanel, which is the target object for attachment, and mounts a TCP,which is the mounted component. The component mounting device 1 includesan ACF attaching device 2. The ACF attaching device 2 attaches ACF tothe liquid crystal panel, and peels off the ACF's release sheet. Then,the mounted component TCP is pre-pressured to the liquid crystal panelby a TCP pre-pressure portion 3, and the TCP is mounted onto the liquidcrystal panel by a TCP actual-pressure portion 4.

Transport arms 5 are provided to transport the liquid crystal panel. Aliquid crystal panel brought in from outside the device on the transportarms 5 is transported in the direction of the arrow while being passedto the next adjacent transport arms 5 when the operation in each of theportions 2 to 4 is finished.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged oblique view of the ACF attaching device 2shown in FIG. 1. A head 7 serving as a press is arranged facing a stage6 serving as a base. A liquid crystal panel is placed on the stage 6 asa target object for attachment. A reel 9 is arranged on the supply sideof the ACF 8. ACF with attached release sheet is wound onto the reel 9.

In this embodiment, the ACF wound onto the reel 9 is a continuous filmof at least two pieces of ACF connected end to end. FIG. 3 shows topviews of the essential parts of the ACF used in this embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 3A, a joint 18 is formed as a connecting portion on ACFs8. As shown in this drawing, the joint 18 connects the end portions ofthe ACFs 8 like tape. The joint 18 is detected by a joint sensor 11,which is a detector.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3B, an end mark 31, which is an endportion, is formed on the ACF 8. The end mark 31 shows the usage limitof the ACF 8 on the reel 9, that is a reference point for the endposition. The end mark 31 is provided as a red or other color mark onthe ACF 8, and can be recognized visually. The end mark 31 is detectedby an end sensor, which is a detector. In this embodiment, the jointsensor 11 also functions as an end sensor, and can detect both the joint18 and the end mark 31. However, the present invention is not limited tothis configuration, and a joint sensor and an end sensor may be providedindividually.

The ACF 8 is cut at a predetermined length by a cutter that is a cuttingmeans. In this drawing, the cutter is withdrawn to the deep end of thehead 7. The ACF 8 is fed from the reel 9 by the movement of a feed chuck10, which is a feeder that clamps a release sheet 15. In the following,this operation is referred to as “feeding.”

The ACF 8 is supplied onto a stage 7 via supply rollers 13 a to 13 d.Furthermore, when the attachment of the ACF 8 is finished, the releasesheet 15 that is peeled off the ACF 8 is discharged via a dischargeroller 14.

A control unit is provided in this embodiment, and this control unitcontrols the operations of the feed chuck 10, the cutter, and the head7. Furthermore, a detection signal of the joint sensor 11 is also inputto the control unit.

The following is an explanation of an ACF attaching device according toan embodiment of the present invention with reference to the processdrawings of FIGS. 4 to 6. Each figure shows a simplified version of theACF attaching device 2 shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4A shows an initial state of an ACF attaching operation. A leadingedge 8 a of the ACF is positioned at a cutter 16. In the step of FIG.4B, a feed chuck 10 is moving in the direction of arrow a (toward thesupply side of the ACF 8). A chuck portion 10 a, which is a holdingmeans of the feed chuck 10, is in an open state during this movement. InFIG. 4B, the feed chuck 10 is shown in a state in which its movement iscompleted. After this, the feed chuck 10 closes the chuck portion 10 a,and the chuck portion 10 a clamps and holds a release sheet 15.

In FIG. 4C, the feed chuck 10 that holds the release sheet 15 moves inthe direction of arrow b (toward the discharge side of the release sheet15), and a predetermined length of the ACF 8 required for a singleattachment (hereafter, “single attachment unit”) is shown in a state inwhich it has been fed onto a stage 6.

FIG. 5D shows a step of cutting the ACF 8. A cutting mechanism 16 a ofthe cutter 16 clamps the ACF 8, and a blade tip of the cutting mechanism16 a cuts into the ACF 8 in the direction of the ACF's thickness, andthe ACF 8 is cut. This cutting is set up so that only the ACF 8 is cut,and the release sheet 15 is left without being cut. After the ACF 8 iscut, the cutter 16 is withdrawn to a position in which it does notinterfere with the head 7.

FIG. 5E shows a step of applying pressure. After the cutter 16 iswithdrawn, a substrate 17 is transported onto the stage 6. In FIG. 5E, apressure applying surface 7 a of the head 7 is heated to a predeterminedtemperature, then presses the substrate 17 with the ACF 8 inbetween, anda single attachment unit of the ACF 8 is attached to the substrate 17.

As shown in FIG. 5F, after the ACF 8 is attached, the head 7 moves up(moves in a direction away from the stage 7). After this, while a sheetlock 12, which is a holding means, clamps and holds the release sheet15, the feed chuck 10 opens and moves to the supply side of the ACF 8,and the release sheet 15 is peeled off from the ACF 8 that is attachedto the substrate 17. This peeling off completes the attachment of asingle attachment unit of the ACF 8 b to the substrate 17. After this,the substrate 17 is transported to the next process. Next, the processreturns to the feeding of feed chuck 10 to attach the next singleattachment unit of ACF shown in FIG. 4C, and the above-described stepsare repeated, with an ACF 8 attached to each of the substrates 17 thatare successively transported onto the stage 6.

It should be noted that the explanation of this embodiment uses anexample in which the ACF 8 is attached at one location to a singlesubstrate 17, but the ACF 8 may be attached to a plurality of locationson a single substrate 17 as shown in FIG. 7. When this is the case, thesize of the pressure applying surface 7 a of the head 7 becomesapproximate to a size capable of applying pressure to each singleattachment unit of the ACF 8, and when each attachment of a singleattachment unit of the ACF 8 is complete, the position of the substrateis shifted or rotated, and a transition is made to the step of attachingthe next single attachment unit of the ACF 8.

The reel 9 used here in this embodiment is wound with joined ACF, sothat a joint appears from the reel 9 during the repeated feedings of thefeed chuck 10. FIG. 6G shows a state in which, during a movement of thefeed chuck 10, the joint 18 has reached the position where the jointsensor 11 is arranged. In this state, the joint sensor 11 detects thejoint 18.

In this embodiment, even after the joint 18 is detected, attachmentoperations continue to use the ACF 8 available up to the usable limit upto the joint 18.

In this embodiment, a length L1 from the cutting position of the cutter16 to the joint sensor 11 is stored in the control unit. Furthermore, inthis embodiment, it is assumed that the sheet length of each singleattachment unit of the ACF 8 that is attached to the substrates varieseach time. However, the length of each attachment may of course also bethe same. When the joint sensor 11 detects the joint 18, the controlunit calculates whether there is enough of the ACF 8 remaining betweenthe end face on the discharge side of the release sheet 15 and the joint18 for the next single attachment unit.

This calculation is made possible by inputting in advance the attachmentlengths for each attachment portion of sheeting to be attached to thesubstrates. Here the length of the next single attachment unit is L, andthe ACF 8 has been already fed by a length L2 from the cutting position,and therefore if a length (L−L2) is fed, then the length L for the nextsingle attachment unit will be fed.

In this case, whether or not there is enough length remaining in thelength L1 for the length (L−L2) is judged by whether or not thefollowing equation (1) is satisfied. If the equation (1) is satisfied,then the length L of the next single attachment unit is ensured, andtherefore the control unit judges that it is possible to attach a sheetof the next single attachment unit, and the process proceeds to theattachment of the next single attachment unit. If the equation (1) isnot satisfied, then the length L for the attachment sheet of the nextsingle attachment unit is not ensured, and therefore the control unitjudges that it is not possible to attach a sheet of the next singleattachment unit, and the operation of the device is stopped.

It should be noted that the length L2 can be calculated by the controlunit based on the number of drive motor pulses in the period from thestart of movement of the feed chuck 10 until the stopping of movement.L1−(L−L 2)≧0  Equation (1)

If the equation (1) is satisfied, a sheet attachment of the next singleattachment unit is performed, but when the length of the remaining ACF 8excluding the length of the sheet attachment of this single attachmentunit (the length from the cutting position of the cutter 16 up to thejoint 18) is L3, then the control unit stores L3=L1−(L−L2). Using thisL3 data, when the then following single attachment unit is taken as L,then whether or not it is possible to attach the then following singleattachment unit (L length) is judged by whether or not the followingequation (2) is satisfied or not.L3−L≧0  Equation (2)

Subsequently, for each attachment of a single attachment unit of the ACF8, the remaining length of the ACF at that point in time is updated byL3, and whether or not it is possible to attach the next singleattachment unit is judged by whether or not the following equation (2)is satisfied or not.

Consequently, when the joint sensor 11 detects the joint 18, the controlunit executes an attachment of the ACF 8 for the number of singleattachment unit portions possible to be attached up to the joint 18, andwhen the attachments for this number of single attachment unit portionsare finished, the operation of the device is stopped.

FIG. 6H shows a step of cutting a final portion of an ACF 4 before thestopping of operation. After this, as in the step of FIG. 5E, when thecutter 16 is withdrawn and a substrate is supplied, the pressureapplying surface 7 a of the head 7 is heated to a predeterminedtemperature, and presses the substrate 17 with the ACF 8 in between, andthe last single attachment unit of the ACF 8 is attached to thesubstrate 17. After this, as shown in FIG. 6I, after the head 7 movesup, and the release sheet 15 is peeled off by a peeling off operation ofthe feed chuck 10, the device is temporarily stopped in the state shownin FIG. 6I. After this, the ACF 8 is fed manually so that the joint 18is moved in the conveying direction beyond the position of the cutter16, and after the ACF 8 is cut leaving the release sheet 15, the ACF 8is peeled off from the release sheet 15 up to the cutting position. Inthis way, the cutting position becomes the new leading edge of the ACF8. Through these tasks, the device is put into an initial state such asthat shown in FIG. 4A.

The joint sensor 11 is provided in this embodiment, so that the jointsensor 11 detects the joint 18 and reliably stops the movement of thefeed chuck 10 regardless of the size of the single attachment unit orthe type of reel. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent ACF 8containing a joint from being attached to the substrate 17.

Furthermore, although manual tasks are necessary after the movement ofthe feed chuck 10 is stopped and until the setup of an initial state,the same reel can be used in succession, and therefore the number ofreel replacements is reduced, and the burden of the task of reelreplacement is reduced. In addition to this, the ACF 8 can be usedeffectively up to the joint 18, so that resource losses can besuppressed.

It should be noted that this embodiment, as with Embodiment 1, can alsobe applied as a device that detects an end mark. In this case too, theACF up to the end mark is used continuously in attachment operationsuntil the next single attachment unit cannot be ensured, and attachmentoperations are stopped at the point when the next single attachment unitcannot be ensured.

Furthermore, this embodiment was explained with an example in which areel wound with ACFs connected by a joint is used, but in aconfiguration such as that mentioned above in which an end mark isdetected, it also can be applied to a reel wound with a single ACFwithout a joint. In this case too it is possible to reliably prevent ACFcontaining an end mark from being attached to a substrate, and the ACFup to the end mark can be used effectively.

EMBODIMENT 2

Embodiment 1 was explained with an example in which it is judged whetheror not the next single attachment unit can be ensured, but there is nolimitation to this, and it is also possible to judge whether or not alength totaling the attachment lengths enough for all the ACFattachments on the next substrate can be ensured.

This embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 showsa top view of an example substrate. A liquid crystal panel 17 a ismounted on the substrate 17. The reference number 50 refers to thelocations in which ICs for running the liquid crystal panel 17 a areinstalled, that is, the locations in which ACFs are attached. In theexample in FIG. 7, different single attachment units of ACF are to beattached in a total of three locations.

In this embodiment, when the joint 18 of the ACF is detected, it isjudged whether or not enough ACF for the attachments of the currentsubstrate 17 to which ACF is being attached can be ensured in the ACF upto the joint 18. When a length of enough ACF for the attachments of thecurrent substrate 17 to which ACF is being attached is ensured,attachments continue. A judgment then is made of whether or not a length(in the case of FIG. 7, a length corresponding to the three locations)of enough ACF for the attachments for the next substrate 17 that hasbeen transported in can be ensured in the ACF up to the joint 18. Whenit is judged that a length of enough ACF for the attachments of the nextsubstrate 17 can be ensured, attachments continue.

Equation (1) and (2) may be applied for these judgments with L taken asa length totaling the attachments of ACF for the next substrate 17. Inthis case, at the point when a length that is enough for the ACFrequired for the next substrate cannot be ensured, attachment operationsare stopped. In this way, although inferior in terms of the effectiveuse of ACF compared to when a judgment is made for each singleattachment unit, it is possible to avoid stopping the operation of thedevice during attachments to the substrate 17. By doing this, it ispossible to prevent deterioration of the ACF's adhesive caused byleaving the substrate 17 during attachments to the substrate 17.Furthermore, as no substrate 17 remains in the ACF attaching device,manual tasks after the device stops become easier, and operability isimproved.

EMBODIMENT 3

FIG. 8 is a process drawing of an ACF attaching device according toEmbodiment 3. A step of cutting a final portion of the ACF 8 is carriedout in this embodiment as in FIG. 6H, and the steps until the attachingof the final portion of the ACF 8 to the substrate are the same as inEmbodiment 1. In this embodiment, an automatic skipping (forwardingthrough) of the joint 18 is performed when the joint 18 is detected.

FIG. 8A shows a state in which a sheet of a final portion of a singleattachment unit of the ACF 8 has been attached after the joint 18 wasdetected by the joint sensor 11. With the chuck portion 10 a in an openstate, the feed chuck 10 moves in the direction of the arrow a, thenstops before the cutter 16. The chuck portion 10 a clamps and holds therelease sheet 15. For convenience of explanation, the joint sensor 11and the joint 18 are nearby in FIG. 8A, but FIG. 8A shows the state inwhich, after the joint sensor 11 detects the joint 18, the attachment ofthe number of single attachment units of the ACF 8 that can be attachedis completed. In FIG. 8B, a movement of the feed chuck 10 in thedirection of the arrow b is carried out for the feeding operation, andthe joint 18 of the ACF 8 moves to the conveying side of the cutter 16.

Here, when the length of the ACF 8 from the joint 18 until the cuttingposition is taken as L3 as in FIG. 8A, L3 is the length remaining aftersubtracting the length of the first ACF 8 after the detection of thejoint from L1 (FIG. 6G), and after further subtracting the length of thenumber of single attachment units that can be attached. The method forcalculating this remaining length is the same as in Embodiment 1.

Consequently, when the feed chuck 10 is moved in the direction of arrowb by a distance greater than the length of L3, the joint 18 moves towardthe discharge side of the release sheet 15 from the cutting position. Itis possible for this L3 amount of forwarding through to be calculated bythe control unit as explained in Embodiment 1.

FIG. 8C shows a cutting step. After the skip is completed, the ACF 8 iscut leaving the release sheet 15 intact. After the cutting, theoperation of the device is stopped, and the ACF 8 is peeled off manuallyfrom the release sheet 15 up to the cutting position, returning thedevice to an initial state.

The above explanation was of an operation when the joint 18 is detected,but it is possible for the control unit to judge whether or not the itemdetected is either the joint 18 or the end mark 31. When it is judgedthat the joint 18 is detected, an operation of skipping the joint 18 isperformed such as that described above. However, when the control unitjudges that an end mark 31 has been detected, the ACF up to the end mark31 is used as described in Embodiment 1, and the control unit stops theoperation of the device when the possible limit of attachments that canbe attached are finished. In other words, a skipping of the end mark 31is not performed in this case.

In this embodiment, as in Embodiment 1, the ACF 8 can be usedeffectively up to the joint, thus making it possible to suppressresource loss. In addition to this, the task of skipping the joint 18 isautomated, and therefore the manual tasks required until the setup of aninitial state can be reduced.

EMBODIMENT 4

FIGS. 9 and 10 are process drawings of an ACF attaching device accordingto Embodiment 4. The steps in this embodiment are the same as Embodiment3 until the cutting step shown in FIG. 8C of Embodiment 3. In Embodiment3, the task of peeling off the release sheet 15 from the ACF 8 to set upan initial state is performed manually, but in Embodiment 4, thispeeling off task is also performed automatically. FIG. 9A shows thestate after the joint has been skipped. In FIG. 9A, a discarding stage19 has moved above the stage 6.

Here, the basic operation of the discarding stage 19 is explained withreference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the main parts ofthe ACF attaching device shown in FIG. 2. The discarding stage 19 isattached at an arm 23, which is a supporter. The arm 23 is attached viaa shaft 21 and a coupler 24. The shaft 21 is extendable-retractable by acylinder 20, which is a movement enabling means.

With the extension-retraction of the shaft 21 by the cylinder 20, thediscarding stage 19 is rotatable around a rotation axis 25. In this way,the discarding stage 19 can be moved above the stage 6, and can bewithdrawn to a position that does not interfere with the head 7 when thehead 7 is pressing.

Furthermore, in the case of the discarding stage 19 being positionedabove the stage 6, when the head 7 descends and abuts the discardingstage 19, the arm 23 also descends along with the descending of the head7, causing a spring 22 to compress along with this, and finally the head7 presses on the discarding stage 19.

With this configuration, setting up the discarding stage 19 above thestage 6, and withdrawing the discarding stage 19 from above the stage 6can be performed speedily by an operation of rotating the discardingstage 19 with the arm 23. Moreover, despite being only a simpleoperation, the discarding stage 19 can be mounted reliably above thestage 6.

When the head 7 descends as in FIG. 9B, the discarding stage 19 ispressed by the head 7 as described above, and the ACF 8 between the head7 and the discarding stage 19 becomes attached to the discarding stage19.

In FIG. 10A, the head 7 has moved up, and in this state the feed chuck10 is moved in the direction of the arrow b with the chuck portion 10 ain an open state, thus peeling off the release sheet 15 from the ACF 8.FIG. 10A shows the state after the release sheet 15 has been peeled off.In FIG. 10B, the discarding stage 19 is withdrawn, and this state is aninitial state for the operation in which the next sheet of ACF isattached. After this, the automated attaching steps can continue againas described above by repeating the above-described steps.

When a predetermined number of the ACF 8 sheets are attached to thediscarding stage 19, the attached ACF 8 sheets are peeled off from thediscarding stage 19 by an operator, and the discarding stage 19 iswashed to remove adhesiveness. Furthermore, the task of peeling off theACF 8 can be made easier by attaching a release sheet to the discardingstage 19 in advance and attaching the ACF 8 onto that.

Furthermore, the control unit judges whether or not it is necessary topeel off the discarded ACF 8 or release sheet, and notifies the operatorvia an operation panel (not shown in figure) or by a signal tower 52shown in FIG. 1. As for the judgment of whether or not peeling off isnecessary, it can be judged that peeling off is necessary when, forexample, the number of discarded films has been counted, and a preset,predetermined number of discarded films has been reached.

Furthermore, the control unit also may comprehensively judge and notifyconcerning the thickness of the discarded ACF 8, the viscosity detectedby a viscosity sensor, and data of the number of discarded ACF 8. Theoperator is notified of the timing for the task of peeling off the ACF 8or release sheet from the discarding stage 19, and therefore theequipment is never left with these not peeled off. Consequently, thisprevents quality-related problems of the head applying discardingpressure when in a state that is not within allowable conditions, andbecause the task of peeling off is performed speedily when peeling offis necessary, production efficiency is improved.

As with Embodiment 3, the skipping task is automated in this embodiment.In addition to this, by avoiding the task of peeling off the discardedACF 8 on the discarding stage 19, or peeling off the release sheet thatis attached in advance to the discarding stage 19, manual tasksperformed after detection of a joint are eliminated. That is, in thisembodiment, after detection of a joint, the serial operations ofskipping the joint and peeling off the release sheet from the ACF 8 ofthe skipped portion are automated, thus improving the operating ratiocompared to the above-described embodiments.

Here the reasons for discarding the skipped portions of the ACF 8 are toavoid a predetermined length containing a skipped portion longer than asingle attachment unit having pressure applied by the head 7 andbecoming attached, even if the portion of ACF 8 containing a joint isskipped, and, by discarding, to avoid clamp-holding of the skippedportion by the feed chuck 10 and the sheet lock 12. If the skippedportion is clamp-held by the feed chuck 10 or the sheet lock 12, thereis the possibility of the ACF 8 becoming attached to the feed chuck 10or the sheet lock 12, and there is the possibility that correct feedingcannot be performed when ACF 8 becomes attached.

It should be noted that Embodiments 1 to 4 were explained with aconfiguration in which the joint sensor 11 is arranged to some extentremoved from the stage 6. The reasons for such a configuration are toeliminate interference between the stage 6 and the head 7, and becausearranging the detection position of the joint sensor 11 on the ACF 8side (an arrangement in which detecting a joint is easy) is simpler.

If possible in terms of layout, the joint sensor 11 may also be arrangednear the cutter 16. In this case, a setup is also possible in which, atthe point when the joint 18 is detected, a length that can ensure alength of a single attachment unit does not remain in the ACF 8. Withthis configuration, the attaching step becomes unnecessary after thejoint 18 is detected, and the process can continue and move on to thestep of skipping.

Furthermore, these embodiments were described with an example in whichthe ACF is supplied from a reel onto which it is wound, but there is nolimitation to this as long as the ACF is stored so that it can be fed,and ACF that is stored in other forms may be supplied.

Furthermore, these embodiments were described with the example of ACF,but there is no limitation to this, and the same effect may be obtainedwith an adhesive sheet with attached release sheet. Furthermore, thetarget object for mounting was described with the example of a liquidcrystal panel, but there is no limitation to this, and the same effectmay be obtained with other display panels such as plasma displays.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, the present invention is provided with a jointdetector, and therefore, regardless of the length of a single attachmentof adhesive sheet or the type of reel, the detector detects a joint andreliably stops the movement of the feeder. For this reason, adhesivesheet containing a joint can be reliably prevented from attaching to atarget object for attachment.

Furthermore, the adhesive sheet can be used effectively up to the joint,thus suppressing resource loss. Further still, an operating ratio can beimproved by automating the manual tasks in the period after thedetection of a joint until the setup of an initial state. For thisreason, the present invention is useful for adhesive sheet attachingdevices and component mounting devices in which an adhesive sheet forfixing mounted components is attached to display panels such as liquidcrystal panels and plasma displays.

1. An adhesive sheet attaching method that attaches an adhesive sheetwith an attached release sheet supplied continuously in a longitudinaldirection to a target object, and discharges a release sheet peeled offfrom the adhesive sheet, the method comprising: supplying, as theadhesive sheet, an adhesive sheet that is provided with a connectingportion in which ends of adhesive sheets that are continuous in thelongitudinal direction are joined; feeding the adhesive sheet by movingthe release sheet peeled off from the adhesive sheet with a feeder;cutting a length of the fed adhesive sheet that is necessary forattachment with a cutter, and attaching the cut adhesive sheet to thetarget object with an attacher; when the connecting portion is detectedby a detector, after an adhesive sheet of an attachable length up to theconnecting portion has been attached, causing the feeder to move until aposition of the connecting portion is on the discharge side of therelease sheet with respect to a cutting position of the cutter, causingthe adhesive sheet to be cut by the cutter, and attaching the adhesivesheet to a discarding stage, and resuming an operation by the attacher.2. An adhesive sheet attaching device that attaches an adhesive sheetwith an attached release sheet supplied continuously in a longitudinaldirection to a target object, and discharges a release sheet peeled offfrom the adhesive sheet, wherein the adhesive sheet is provided with atleast one of a connecting portion in which ends of adhesive sheets thatare continuous in the longitudinal direction are joined, and an endportion that indicates an end position of the supply in the longitudinaldirection, wherein the adhesive sheet attaching device comprises: afeeder for moving while holding a release sheet peeled off from theadhesive sheet, and feeding the adhesive sheet onto the target object: acutter for cutting a length of the fed adhesive sheet that is requiredfor attachment; an attacher for attaching the cut adhesive sheet to thetarget object; a detector for detecting the connecting portion or theend portion; and a controller for controlling at least an operation ofthe feeder, the cutter and the attacher; and wherein the controller,when the detector detects the connecting portion or the end portion,determines a length from an end face on a discharge side of the releasesheet up to the connecting portion or the end portion, and continues anattachment operation of an adhesive sheet of an attachable length fromthe end face on the discharge side of the release sheet up to theconnecting portion or the end portion and stops the operation of thefeeder and the attacher after the adhesive sheet of the attachablelength from the end face on the discharge side of the release sheet upto the connecting portion or the end portion has been attached, andwherein the adhesive sheet attaching device further comprises a stageonto which the target object is mounted, wherein the attacher comprisesa press that presses the target object mounted on the stage with theadhesive sheet fed onto the target object in between, wherein theadhesive sheet attaching device further comprises a discarding stagethat is capable of moving over the stage and withdrawing from the stage,and wherein the controller, after causing the feeder to move until aposition of the connecting portion is on the discharge side of therelease sheet with respect to a cutting position of the cutter, causesthe adhesive sheet to be cut by the cutter, the discarding stage to moveover the stage, and the adhesive sheet to be attached to the discardingstage by the press.
 3. The adhesive sheet attaching device according toclaim 2, wherein a release sheet is attached to the discarding stage,and the adhesive sheet is attached to the release sheet.
 4. The adhesivesheet attaching device according to claim 2, comprising a notificationmeans for notifying when a predetermined number of the adhesive sheetsis attached to the discarding stage.
 5. The adhesive sheet attachingdevice according to claim 2, wherein the discarding stage is attached toa supporter that is rotatable by a movement enabling means, and can bemoved over the stage and withdrawn from the stage with the rotation ofthe supporter.